An Investigation of the Effect of Source Area Lithology on Infiltration Rates of Alluvial Deposits

Physical and chemical properties of sediments are affected by source area lithological formations. If these deposit materials exist in flood spreading systems or artificial recharge basins the infiltration rate will be decreased. Therefore, the rate of infiltration in alluvial deposits is indirectly related to source area lithology. Suitable areas for determining these relationships were selected. In this research, 8 smalI watersheds with relatively uniform lithology at upstream of Band-Sars (Traditional Flood Harvesting Systems) were selected in 20 million hectares in Khorasan province. Infiltration rates in Band-Sars as
well as in control areas were determined. The results show that the infiltration rate in the 8 regions are completely different and related to upstream lithological formation. Coarse grained sedimentary and
igneous formations have little effect on the decrease in infiltration rate .